What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger
by Grannanatlanta
Summary: 7th in IOH A shooting, a mystery of what happened, a 'borrowed' gun, and phone call that changes seven lives and all those around them. Read and find out what happens.


**In Our Hearts**

**This is for the people reading who has not been with the series the whole way and has just jumped in just now. If you want you can go back and read the stories from the beginning before reading this next one I highly suggest it if you do so for it would make more since, but you can start here if you like it is entirely up to you.**

**Stories in Order**

**1: Simper Fi**

**2: Nighttime Terrors**

**3: Stranger Danger**

**4: Jack Spencer**

**5: Stu-Stu-Stuttering **

**6: Old and New Friends**

**Characters From Series**

**Anthony Jackson Gibbs**

**Leroy Jethro Gibbs**

**Simper Fi**

**Billy Kelly**

**Jack Spencer**

**Marty Deeks**

**Curtis Reyes**

**Trevor Maxwell**

**Brandon Crumb**

**Dustin Thomas**

**Chelsea Burnfell**

_**~IOH~**_

**Story 7**

**What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger**

"HELLO! You can't just keep us locked in here forever!" Trevor said as he slammed his hand against the wall of the cell. Trevor felt his would crumbling around him and he couldn't breath and just waiting in this cell was making it worse.

"You know I don't think yelling at them is going to get them to do anything, so if I were you I would calm down and sit down." Tony said as he rested his head against the wall in the same cell as Trevor.

"What are we going to do? How we going to play this" Trevor asked frantically Brandon snorted as he passed back and forth in front of Trevor. Chelsea and Billy were somewhere ells in another cell and Curtis sat next to Tony his leg bouncing up and down nervously.

"Not we you, it's time for you to step up and face the mess that YOU made." Brandon said, Trevor stood there shocked that was the first that Brandon had ever talked to him like that, but he could understand, after all Brandon had lost something close to him almost as a brother close.

"Tony even I know this ant any good how are you so calm right now." Curtis said nervously, he really was frightened. Curtis was never a kind a person to get into any little trouble with teachers let alone to be arrested and put in a jail cell.

"Curtis, you just need to relax we did nothing wrong ok, and once they figure that out they'll let us go beside they can't hold us in here forever." Tony took a deep breath then straightened out and looked at Curtis. "Because we were all on the seen when the incident happened they are going to hold us in this cell until they have us all processed and once that's done they'll let us all go ok. Trust me I know how all this works my dad does it for a living." Tony said Curtis gulped then nodded taking a deep breath.

"Anthony Gibbs?" An officer said, Tony stood up as the officer unlocked the cell and Tony followed him out. The officer lead him to an interrogation room were Tony could see a detective waiting for him.

"Have a seat, Anthony is it?" The detective said motioning to the seat across from him.

"Yeah but you can call me Tony." Tony said reaching over his hand, the detective took his hand in a firm handshake.

"Detective O'Malley." The detective responded as he sat back down the same time that Tony sat down. O'Malley then opened a file that was in front of him that had a few pictures in it and a couple of papers.

"So Tony why don't you tell me what happened tonight, from your perspective." O'Malley said as he took out a notepad and pen then looked at Tony. Tony took a deep breath then let it out.

"It all started when I got a call from my old friend Trevor, but we haven't been friends for months now…"

* * *

><p>"Tony I need your help." Trevor said frantically over then phone.<p>

"Well maybe you should have thought of what could happen before you got into this mess Trevor, I don't know what I could do for you."

"Tony don't bullshit me I know you have enough money to pay off these guys." Trevor yelled into the phone.

"Yeah and what makes you think I'm going to give my money to you after what you did to me."

"Look I'm sorry ok I'm sorry for everything, but this guy isn't messing around Tony he said he was going to kill me if I didn't have his money my morning, my dad cut me off he wont even answer my calls you're the only one I have left Tony please." Tony sighed into the phone and dropped his chin to his chest.

"Alright but after this Trevor I don't want you anywhere near me, Billy, or Curtis you hear after this were done for good no more, just no more, you understand." Tony said sternly into the phone.

"Yes, yeah I understand totally I promise after this were done." Trevor said, then the line went dead as Tony hung up on him and then paced for a bit thinking through what he had to do.

* * *

><p>"So what happened after you hung up?" Detective O'Malley said as he wrote what Tony had said down.<p>

"I went and tolled Billy, my girl, what I was going to do." Tony said running his hand through his hair. "She tried talking me out of it…"

* * *

><p>"Tony I really don't think this is a good idea, I have a bad feeling about this." Billy said as she crossed her arms.<p>

"Well what do you want me to do, Trevor said they'd kill him if he doesn't have the money, I can't just let him die knowing that I could do something to stop it. We may not be friends anymore but that doesn't mean I wish him dead." Tony said pacing in Billy's living room, her dad was out with Marty getting some parts for there mower that had crapped out on them the other day.

"I'm not saying you leave Trevor out to dry, I'm just saying that this plan doesn't seem right. I say we should tell your dad, he would know a much safer and legal way of helping Trevor." Billy said placing her hand on Tony's arm. Tony took a deep breath and nodded.

"I already thought of that, and I tried convincing Trevor of the same thing but he said and sent of cops and these guys would kill him." Tony said as he went back to pacing then stopped and looked to Billy. "I need to do this, just this one last thing to help Trevor then I'm done with him completely." Tony said resolutely.

"And how do you know that! How long do you think it will take before the next big event comes up and Trevor needs help again uh, he's just going to keep using you and your just going to keep letting him. It's going to have to stop sometime Tony, and he's not going to be the one stopping it!" Billy said angrily with worry in her eyes. Tony then crossed over to her and placed his hands on each side of her face looking down into her eyes.

"I know your worried and scared, but I have to do this, me and Trevor were like brothers at one point and I can't just let him drowned when he needs me now." Tony said, then he grabbed his jacket and left getting into his car and taking off. Billy heard the car leave and she raised a hand to cover her mouth as tears came down her eye's she had a real bad feeling about this and she was afraid Tony was going to be severely hurt if she didn't do something.

Tony shut the door to Billy's house and got in his car and headed off down the road, before he could meet up with Trevor and his gang of friends he needed to stop by home and pick up his dads gun, he knew his dad told him several times not to touch it without his permission, when he's in the room with him, or for emergency situations. But if Tony thought about it, isn't this an emergency situation?

He arrived home and saw that his dad's truck wasn't there which means he was probably still at work. He got out of his car and headed inside making a beeline for his dads safe after watching his dad type in the code, he had memorized it. Opening it he pulled out the 9mm and held it in his hands it's familiar wait resting in his palms. After his dad taking him to the gun rang several times, Tony was pretty confident that if the situation were to arise that he would need to use it he could use it properly. He placed the gun in the back of his pants under his shirt and hoodie then went back out to his car heading to the national park, where Trevor told him the meet would be. He looked in his review merrier and saw the brief case that had pretty much his life savings in it well what little of a life savings he had for he only had the account at the bank for a little under two years. He sighed and looked ahead as he pulled into the park.

* * *

><p>"So you had the money and the gun?" O'Malley asked as he wrote this down.<p>

"Yeah, I never intended on using it though and I didn't. Like I said before I showed up there and there was Trevor, Dustin, Brandon, and Chelsea there was also four other guys, big, big guys though and another scrawny man who all had well tailored suits on…"

"Tony so glad you could finally make it what took you so long." Brandon said anxiously.

"You just be glad I came at all." Tony hissed as he tightened his hand on the brief case he was carrying.

"Yeah Tony he knows he's just being a dick, did you bring the money." Trevor said with an apologetic voice. Tony grinded his teeth and then nodded his head.

"Yeah." Tony said moving forward a bit but stopping well out of range from everybody ells. But just then Tony heard more footsteps behind him.

"Thought you said it was only him coming?" The scrawny man with the suit said getting nervous.

"It is, or was Tony?" Trevor said with a high pitched voice. Tony turned around and saw two shadows coming around the park walk way, he slowly reached for the gun on his back just in case when he saw who rounded the corner.

"Billy, Curtis what the hell are you two doing here!" Tony hissed looking at them both.

"Hey man don't look at me she dragged me with her." Curtis gulped as he looked around.

"Tony we couldn't let you do this alone what if something happened." Billy said urgently.

"Shut up all of you! This wasn't part of the plan! I don't like were this is going, just hand over the money and let's all leave." The scrawny man said angrily. Tony nodded and was about to turn around when a street light must have glittered off of Tony's gun, one of the big men in suits then pulled out there's thinking Tony was reaching for his and raised it up at Tony. The action of the man moving so fast to bring his gun up caused Dustin who had recently been quite and nervous to suddenly spring to life as he was on edge and had clearly snapped. He apparently had a gun as well and now brought it out firing a shot off though not very good aim in the direction of the men in suits. The man who had the gun pointed at Tony then fired. The last thing Tony remembered was his name being yelled and then him falling to the ground hitting his head hard knocking him out cold.

When Tony next woke up Billy was crying next to him Curtis trying to calm her down as the both kneeled next to him. Then looking over on his other side, he saw Trevor Sitting with his knees drawn up elbows on them with his hands in his hair pulling frantically at it. Brandon was pacing behind him, and Chelsea, she was just standing there holding a gun in her hand, her eye's wide and staring at a spot a few feet away from Tony. Looking over Tony saw Dustin laying on the ground, a blood pool surrounding him a hole in his chest and his eyes were wide open. Tony had never seen death before and now he was staring right at it. He felt like he was going to be sick, rolling over Tony then released what was left in his stomach from his earlier dinner. He rolled back over on his back looking up at the sky, just then he felt a hand on his cheek and his hearing came back after he realized it was gone.

"Oh my God, Tony I thought you were dead!" Billy said then leaned on his side as she buried her head in his shoulder and cried. Now that Tony was laying on his back again he realized that his gun was missing, looking at Chelsea Tony got a better look at the gun she was holding and realized it was his, well his dads.

* * *

><p>"And that's when the cops showed up." Tony finished taking a sip of the water that they had provided him.<p>

"Alright thank you for your time, your dad's waiting in the bullpen to take you home." O'Malley said standing up Tony fallowed suit. He was about to go out the door when the detective stopped him.

"You know kid I happen to know you dad he's a great guy, you should have went to him to start with." O'Malley said, Tony looked down ashamed.

"I know, but I can't change what's already done, I can only face up to what I've chosen and live with the consequences." Tony said looking directly into O'Malley's eyes.

"You're a smart kid, I'm sure you'll figure your way out and become the man that I'm sure your father would be proud of." O'Malley said placing his hand on Tony's shoulder. Tony nodded though he honestly saw nothing in himself to be proud of right now. Leaving the interrogation room he went into the bullpen with O'Malley right behind him.

"O'Malley." Jethro said nodding his head as they came into sight.

"Gibbs." O'Malley said nodding back holding his hand out which Jethro took.

"We good to go." Jethro asked looking his boy over making sure that the bruise appearing on his sons head was the only injury.

"Yeah he's good to go, his story lined up with what we have so far, so if anything pops up we'll give you a call." O'Malley said, Jethro nodded then grabbed his sons arm and headed out the door. After getting into his truck he headed home, pulling up in front of the house Tony saw that his car had made it home. Before Jethro got out of the truck he turned to Tony.

"Why didn't you come to me?" Jethro asked sincerely.

"I, I don't know, I was stupid and really didn't think things through, I'm sorry I…" Tony looked down at his hands ashamed, he then felt tears leak there way down his cheeks, he tried to hold them back but he was only a sixteen year old kid who had just witnessed death and couldn't hold it back anymore. "I killed him dad! Oh God I killed him!" Tony sobbed, he then instantly felt arms surround him.

"You didn't kill him son, it wasn't you. You were out cold remember." Jethro soothed his boy rocking back and forth placing a kiss on the side of his head.

"I brought that stupid gun, I didn't tell you, it was that stupid gun on my waist that the man saw and and…" Tony hiccupped.

"Sh sh sh sh. Calm down it's not your fault, his own actions got him were he's at now. It's not your fault, you didn't kill him." Jethro knew the pain of seeing a death especially of someone you knew, even if you weren't the one to kill them. He just really wished Tony wouldn't have had to witness one at such a young age.

"You scared me tonight Tony, you really scared me." Jethro said feeling tears of his own come out when he got the call, and was told what had happened he had been worried as hell. He had called Jack, who had picked Tony's car up from the police station and brought it home.

"I know dad, I'm so sorry." Tony said resting his head on his father's shoulder as he finally started to calm down only now just sniffling. Jethro just nodded and placed his hand on top of his boys head.

"We better get inside." Jethro said about to get out.

"Hey dad?" Tony asked wiping his cheeks off with his hands.

"Yeah son?" Jethro said looking back at Tony.

"How'd my car get home." Tony asked looking at Jethro curiously.

"Your Uncle." Jethro said simply. "Oh and that reminds me, your keys and phone please." Jethro said holding out his hand. Tony thought better of arguing was glad that was his only punishment and handed them over. If he were honest with himself, he should be punished more severely, the haunting dead eyes that still remained in the forefront of his brain reminding Tony of the severe consequence that he now has to live with because of his actions tonight. Jethro saw the haunting look in his boys eyes that he never thought he would see and he never honestly wanted to see, and he knew that it was something they would both need to work on. Something that would haunt his boy for the rest of his life, but Jethro knew that his boy wouldn't be alone and he would help him through all the rough nights to come, that he knew would come.

Billy's Interrogation:

"Ms. Kelly have a seat please." O'Malley said gesturing to the seat across the table from him. Billy nodded and sat down as she whipped more tear from her eyes. "Why don't you tell me what happened tonight." O'Malley said and got ready to write what was important down.

"Well um." Billy coughed and cleared her throat. "Tony called and said he was coming over said there was something that he needed to tell me." She pushed a strand of blond hair out of her eyes and took a sip of water. "After he came over and told me what he was going to do I tried to talk him out of it. But he was adamant about helping a friend, including Trevor even though they weren't really friends anymore." Billy sighed then looked down at her lap. "When he left I couldn't just let him go to that meet alone especially when I felt something was awfully wrong. So I called Curtis and asked him to come with me, Tony had told me where the meet was in case anything went wrong and I hadn't heard from him I was to call for help and tell the location. But instead I convinced Curtis to go with me to the park. But when we showed up there we must have spooked them and everything just went down hill from there…"

* * *

><p>Billy saw Dustin shoot his gun at the men, and saw the man holding the gun pointed at Tony jerk, she acted before she thought and jumped on Tony sending them both to the ground just as a shot went off, she felt and heard herself yell Tony's name but it was all happening in slow motion that she couldn't really comprehend what was really going on. She buried her head in Tony's shoulder and held still until all the shooting stopped and soon there was no sounds. She raised her head and looked down at Tony, he had his eye's closed and wasn't moving she quickly rolled off of him thinking he had been shot was looking for a bullet wound. Not finding one she started crying trying to figure out what happened. Just then Tony's eyes opened and he looked over in her direction the other direction and promptly got sick. Once he was back on his back she placed her hand on his cheek needing to feel him.<p>

"Oh my God, Tony I thought you were dead!" She said and then did she realize Curtis was there comforting her too. She then promptly laid next to Tony and buried her head in his should needing to just let go.

* * *

><p>"That's when I heard the sirens, and the cops showed up." Billy finished as she took another drink from the glass of water.<p>

"Ok well I think that will be all for now, your dads waiting in the bullpen." O'Malley said as he lead her out. When Billy saw her dad, she also saw her cousin.

"Dad! Marty!" Billy said running over and hugging them both.

"Hey, we were worried about you. For awhile there I thought your dad was about to have a melt down he was so worried about you." Marty said, Billy smiled as tears went down her eyes.

"What's say we go home ok?" Her dad asked her she smiled and nodded and all three of them left the police station.

Curtis's Interrogation:

"Curtis Reyes right?" O'Malley asked.

"Yeah." Curtis replied nervously.

"Well we pretty much know what happened already but you want to give us your side of the story.

"Ok, well up I got a call from Billy saying she needed help, that Tony was in some trouble because of Trevor and I had to help her help him. Now normally I really don't do these kind of things but she said she would go there with or without me I couldn't let her go by herself so I went even if it was against my better judgment." Curtis said and then gulped and continued. "But when we showed up there everything went south…"

* * *

><p>Curtis saw Billy jump on Tony and saw Dustin point the gun at another target, he heard the shots the screaming and he froze for a second. Then his survival instincts kicked in and he ducked behind a bush and covered his head with his arms. When he popped back out again everything was over. He saw Billy over sobbing next to Tony and went over to comfort her.<p>

* * *

><p>"That's pretty much all I remember everything happened so fast." Curtis said O'Malley nodded and lead Curtis back out to his parents. On his way out Curtis saw that Brandon was being led out as well which means they had already interrogated him. Must have done it the same time they were doing his, it was getting really late.<p>

Chelsea's Interrogation:

"Chelsea Burnfell, why don't you tell me what happened." O'Malley said, Chelsea sat straight ahead her eye still wide open from when the brought her in there.

"I shot him, I had to he, he, he was shooting everything, he was going crazy. And when I saw Tony's gun fall out of his waist and to the ground as he fell I went for it. I was only going to shoot it to scare him, maybe get him to stop but then, when I shot the gun he just he…"

* * *

><p>Chelsea watched as Dustin stumbled forward a bit and then looked down at his chest then back up at her in horror and disbelief. She didn't know what to do, as she watched him drop the gun that he had then fall to his knees. Her eyes watched everything that happened but her brain not able to comprehend what she had done. He then fell on to his side and just lay there with his eyes opened, she wasn't even sure he was dead, she was sure he was kidding or something, but he didn't get back up and she just stood there still pointing the gun at him, still staring. She soon felt someone take the gun from her and she looked and saw it was a cop, there were several of them around now. She was willingly led over to a police car where they wrapped a blanket around her.<p>

* * *

><p>"I didn't mean to, I don't know what happened." Chelsea kept repeating, O'Malley nodded then got up motioned for someone behind the mirror to come in. The department shrink came in and escorted Chelsea out.<p>

Trevor's Interrogation:

"So Trevor Maxwell, you wanna tell me what happened that lead to everything that happened tonight?" O'Malley said as he stared at the sixteen year old kid sitting across from him that managed to change the life's of six kids including there families and friends.

"I was uh selling fake drugs to people." Trevor said and ran a hand through his hair in most TV shows people that were in this point in there life usually asked for a lawyer, but Trevor knew what he had to do to change for Tony, Billy, Brandon, Chelsea, Curtis, and especially Dustin. "I ended up selling to the wrong people and they found out. They wanted there money back but it was gone I had already spent most of it." Trevor said and placed his shacking hands in his lap. "I asked my old friend Tony to help me out because I knew he would, I used him and I knew it would be easy he would never leave anyone behind even if they had a falling out with him. I knew it was wrong and yet I still did it, I asked Brandon, Chelsea, and Dustin to be there for me to back me up and look were that got them, Dustin's dead, Chelsea, Tony and Billy are traumatized, and Brandon's not speaking to me and honestly I wouldn't speak to me either. They are all going to have to live with what happened tonight and it's all my fault." Trevor said and put his elbows on the table and leaned his head in his hands. His shoulders started to shake as he cried for the screw he made, he knew feeling sorry for himself wont fix anything, but he just needed this moment.

"Trevor everyone told were everyone was and what happened to them, but no one said where these men in suits went or even there names, you want to explain that?"

"Yeah um, the leader of them the scrawny man his name is Frankie I don't know his last name, honestly I don't know much about him just that he was very serious and I tried to tango with him and ended up hurting everyone close to me." Trevor said ready to be down with this conversation. O'Malley nodded and got up he walked around the table and to Trevor motioning to him to stand up.

"Trevor Maxwell, you have the right to remain silent, anything you say…" By that point Trevor spaced out as he felt his wrists being placed in cuffs. O'Malley led him out of the interrogation room and into the hall as he walked he passed a room and saw Chelsea in there balling with her head in her hands and a woman comforting her. Trevor could hear blood rushing in his ears, he then passed by the bullpen and saw his father standing there with a stern expression on his face, he knows he let him down but to see it was another punch in the gut. His mother was crying as she held his fathers hand, he had hurt her too and now realized how much of his life was about to change.

O'Malley walked down two shelves that were full of boxes, one box in his hand he came across a number and looked down to the box in his hand. He then placed the box on the slot and walked away. The side of the box there was written:

**Name: Dustin Thomas**

**Age: 16**

**COD: Gunshot Wound**

**TOD: 11:54pm**

O'Malley shut the door to the evidence locker and took a deep breath. By the time he got home that night and turned on the TV the news had already covered that story that O'Malley had unfolded for them.

"There was a shooting that happened last night and the case was closed at the end of today. A boy the age of 16 named Dustin Thomas was shot and killed by a friend that was defending themselves, for Dustin had lost it after going to a meeting with a big known mob boss Frankie Hernandez. Frankie managed to escape the scene before things escalated. But the seven teenagers that were there weren't that lucky, one of them were arrested for dealing in drugs and wrongful endangerment of others, and is now spending his time in jail. One teenager received probation for prier warrants and the other received a ticket and now will appear in court for having a gun in possession. Another teenager was institutionalized for trauma caused by the event. That is all we have on this story so far, and boy do I have to say that was an eventful night. And now moving on to sports today…"

Tony leaned back in his chair and racked a hand through his hair shutting off the TV. He leaned forward in the chair and buried his head in his hands. He soon felt and arm come around him.

"We'll get through this together." Tony heard his dad say, Tony nodded as he felt Semper lick his hand, then thinking of Billy and Curtis Tony knew that they wouldn't go through this alone and would help each other out if need be. All in all the outcome of last night had taught Tony something, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

**THE END **

**Well technically it's just the end to this story there'll be another. Hope you liked, please leave a review tell me what you think.**


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